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Ind. schools spared from low ISTEP scores

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence announces that he has signed an executive order to shorten the ISTEP+ exam to lessen the burden on students, their parents and teachers during a press conference at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)(Photo: AP)

Indiana school districts will be spared from possible negative consequences of last year’s low ISTEP scores, thanks to a measure Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Thursday afternoon.

Lawmakers fast-tracked the proposal after test scores released earlier this month showed nearly half of students failed one or both portions of the 2015 ISTEP. Educators across the state expected the drop after the state’s first year of implementing and testing more rigorous college and career ready standards, which replaced Common Core in 2014.

But educators are still worried the results – which are tied to school A-F grades, educator evaluations and teacher bonus pay – would carry undesirable consequences.

Senate Enrolled Act 200 holds schools harmless for their A-F grades, and House Enrolled Act 1003 provides that teacher bonuses and evaluations are not negatively affected by the low scores, according to a press release issued by Pence's office.

“These new laws ensure that our teachers and schools will not be negatively impacted as we establish a new bar for success in Indiana,” Pence tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said in a statement Thursday the collective passage and enactment of the measures is a “welcome step” she had advocated since 18 months ago before students even took the 2015 test.

“These common sense bills recognize the reality that when leadership in Indianapolis changes our standards, we need to give our schools time to adjust,” she said.

Ritz applauded the “recent momentum” behind the issue but said the issue should have been addressed a year ago.

“Had we done so, there is no doubt that much of the consternation and difficulty our schools experienced in the last year could have been avoided,” she said. “Our students and schools need leadership that focuses on them, not ideology.”

Reporter Kirsten Clark can be reached at 502-582-4144. Follow The Courier-Journal's Education Team on Facebook at Facebook.com/SchooledCJ.